BACKGROUND Maintaining dignity, the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect, is considered as a goal of palliative care. The aim of this study was to analyse the construct of personal dignity and to assess the content validity of the Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI) in people with an advance directive in the Netherlands. METHODS Data were collected within the framework of an advance direc...

This paper argues that some of the misunderstandings surrounding the meaning and function of the concept of human dignity in bioethics arise from a lack of distinction between two different roles that this notion plays: one as an overarching policy principle, and the other as a moral standard of patient care. While the former is a very general concept which fulfils a foundational and a guiding ...

Predominant among the terminological ambiguities that plague contemporary bioethics is confusion attending the meaning of the term "human dignity," particularly as it applies to so-called end-of-life discussions. This study surveys current trends in treatment of the concept of dignity, examining relevant thinkers who see dignity as redundant or as capability-dependent. These inadequate views ar...

Background: Chronic renal failure is a life-threatening condition; patients due to the prolonged stress are very susceptible to mental health problems. Dignity therapy is a novel therapeutic approach to the treatment of psychological problems for patients who suffer from life-threatening illnesses. Aim: This study examined the impact of dignity therapy on human dignity in patients undergoing he...